Iran's foreign ministry on Thursday warned Israel against any military action targeting the Islamic Republic, as the Jewish state threatened Tehran after accusing it of carrying out a deadly attack on an oil tanker off Oman.
Read also: Escalation between Israel and Iran in the Arabian Sea
"In a brazen new violation of international law, the Israeli regime is now openly threatening
#Iran with
military action,"
Iranian diplomacy spokesman Said Khatibzadeh said on Twitter.
"We say it clearly: ANY reckless action against Iran will in return have a DECISIVE response
,
"
warned Saïd Khabitzbadeh.
"Don't put us to the test."
On July 29, the MT Mercer Street, an oil tanker run by a company owned by an Israeli billionaire, was the target of an attack off the coast of Oman, which resulted in the death of a British security guard and 'a Romanian crew member.
The United States, the United Kingdom and Israel have pointed the finger at Tehran, which denied.
In the aftermath of this attack, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid assured that he had spoken with his British counterpart Dominic Raab about
"the need for a severe response"
.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett assured that his government was working on a joint response to the attack, but that his country
"also knew how to act alone"
.
“The Iranians must understand that it is impossible to sit quietly in Tehran and set the whole Middle East on fire from there.
It's over, ”
he said.
See also -
Israel claims to "have evidence" in attack on oil tanker in Arabian Sea
Rivalry
The Mercer Street was sailing without cargo from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Fujairah (United Arab Emirates) when it was targeted, according to Zodiac Maritime, which operates the Japanese vessel flying the Liberian flag.
For years, Israel and Iran have clashed directly or indirectly in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
But in recent months, this rivalry has spilled over into the sea with the emergence of a mysterious series of sabotages and attacks.
In March,
the Wall Street Journal
reported, citing US and Middle Eastern officials, whom Israel had targeted since late 2019, mainly with underwater mines, at least a dozen ships en route to Syria carrying , in most cases, Iranian oil.